Tuesday, February 04, 2014

Shanghai: Jing An Temple

I have always loved tours of religious sites. Churches, synagogues, temples. Even if I don't subscribe to the religious beliefs of that community, it's members usually treat it with such awe that the atmosphere changes. This was true of the Jing An Temple in Shanghai.

It was the first full day of my vacation, and I wandered out of bed around 12, ready to meander around and see a few things. Since the temple is only two metro stops up from the hostel I was staying at, I decided to start there and work my way around to whatever I fancied next.

This was a special day: it was the first day of the New Year {Lunar New Year}! Admission was a bit more expensive, but there were still crowds of people praying, offering gratitude, and making wishes for the new year. I don't like to take up-close pictures of people praying; I find it to be an invasion of privacy. But, I did take a photo from a balcony that shows all of those worshipping below.

And here's another one of folks offering incense.

There was a neat metal sculpture in the middle of the courtyard that folks were tossing {throwing} coins into. I'm not sure what that was all about, but I can guess.